302 STATE BOAED OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Bates' famous Dutchess tvibe is said to liave beeu descended from the herd of 

 Sir Hugh Smythsoii, and Colhng himself says that one cow was particuLarlj fine, 

 and was better than any he could get from her, although bred repeatedly to his 

 best bulls. Ml'. Price's Herefords were descended from two heifers and a bull 

 selected by him from the herd of a Mr. Tompkins of Wellington Court, who 

 had kept them pure for over 40 years, Mr. Price bred them pure for over 40 

 more, so that for over 80 3'ears, the character of these cattle was being fixed by 

 careful breediiig. This gives you some idea of the time, trouble, and expense 

 incident in forming a breed or race of cattle and bringing them up to a high 

 standard of perfection. To quote Prof, Jamieson of the University of Aberdeen, 

 he says : ''It is only by continued propagation from the same sort that fixity of 

 character can be obtained ; and every mixture of fresh or foreign blood intro- 

 duces unlooked for elements of confusion," This fixity of character was secured 

 and transmitted by such bulls as Hubback, Colling" s Favorite, Foljambe and 

 Belvidere, among Short Horns, and Quartly's Prince of Wales, Hundred Guinea 

 and others among Devons. 



But may not farmers succeed by getting pure-l^rcd bulls and grading tlieir 

 stock? They may, to a certain extent, provided they always adhere to tlie rule 

 to use a pure-bred male and never a grade ; as the moment you use a grade, you 

 lose that potency of transmission so essential in the breeding of stock. This is 

 a slow method of improvement; and where aWe, how much better to get pure- 

 bred females as well as males and rear herds that shall l^e our pride. Tlie most 

 common use of grades is to make one cross v^ith a Short Horn bull and then sell 

 for beef, or one cross or two with an Ayrshire and keep the heifers for milk. 



There is another element that enters into the breeding of grades, and that is 

 the influence of the first gestation on future progeny. It is a well established 

 fact, among breeders, authenticated by numerous instances, that a female first 

 bred to a male will have her future progeny carrying more or less of the charac- 

 teristics of the first male to which she Avas bred. 



This has been the case among hogs on tlie College farm. You see that for one 

 to succeed in grading cattle well, he should take heifers that have never bred and 

 from these start the herd, breeding continually in the same line and with the 

 same end in view. 



But indiscriminate breeding, as crossing first with Short Horn, then Avith 

 Ayrshires, and after perhaps Avith Jerseys to get, 1st, size ; 2d, quantity of 

 milk ; and 3d, richness, would not Ije apt to meet Avith very marked success, as 

 I have seen by my observation in one instance at least. But Avliy do anything 

 better than grade stock, if good results can be reached bv doing that? Because 

 eA'cry man should do tlie very best he can ; and if able, it is much better to 

 raise jiure-bred cattle than grades. Besides some one has to raise the pure-bred 

 bulls that are used for grading. These do noAv and probably ahvays Avill com- 

 mand remunerative, if not fancy prices, so that it Avill pay Avell to breed such 

 stock. There Avill ahvays be some farmers Avho are not able to get and breed 

 pure stock on account of the prices and the state of their finances, so that the 

 market Avill be good for those Avho are able. As an earnest of this I have but to 

 quote the result of the fall series of sales extending during fifteen days, in the 

 blue grass regions in Kentucky, at Avhich over one-half million dollars' Avorth of 

 stock changed hands, and it is congratulatory to the Short Horn interest that it 

 stood this transaction and Avas carried through Avitli no apparent decline, and it 

 is said that prices even seemed firmer and estimates higher at the close than 

 Avhen they opened. 



Many people supposed that Avhen the Xcav York ^lills sale occurred about two 



